My aunt and I have been toying with the idea of starting a no kill animal rescue for years now. We live in south Mississippi and the only shelter around is the humane society which is a nice orginazation but they do kill their animals from lack of space. We have read many articles saying what to do legaly but I would like to hear from someone who has done it themselves. Not sure if this is the best place to ask but I havent found many other forums. Thank you.

It's expensive. Like, tens of thousands of dollars out of your pocket expensive. Yearly. Especially the first few years when you are establishing yourself.

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There are a lot of rescue groups in the Mississippi area, actually. Mostly out of Memphis, but most of them extend to the gulf, east coast, and into Arkansas and Louisiana. Some are breed rescues, some are big dog rescues, small dog rescues, indiscriminate rescues, shelters, fosters....there's a lot in that area, if you know where to look.

The problem is, no one is willing to put the dogs down. So they get shuffled from one place to the next, and when you add that population on top of the ridiculous population the area already has....dogs galore. And no money to support them. Most of those rescue dogs get shipped north or west. The south has no place for them, and one more organization isn't going to help, unfortunately. They need to be put down.

If you want to help, I'd suggest teaming up with a local vet and setting up a low-cost spay and neuter for stray dogs, rescue dogs, and low-income owners.

I volunteer at a no kill shelter every week. Thankfully most our dogs are adopted out pretty quickly, but some are with us for at least a year. I recommend finding a no kill shelter and talking with the person or people that are in charge, even if its on the phone, to see what ideas and tips they can give you!
From what i've learned it is very expensive, not just food, but vet care is high, spays and neuters are not cheap and if an animal comes in with medical issue's it can spike to the thousands for just a few animals. Now i'm not saying you can't do it because it cost alot, just make sure you get started out right so that you are not going under with all these animals.
Also talk to other ppl that run rescue's about how to become non-profit, there are grants for food, repairs ect for non profit rescue groups. Don't know what else to add on here except good luck and do your research before you start rescueing dogs!

But I too don't think its fair for a dog (or cat) to live for years in a kennel waiting. We have an awesome no kill shelter locally. They do ask if you have an animal that is not adoptable (ie serious issues, very elderly) not to drop it off. It breaks their hearts to see animals slowly die inside due to abandonment with no hope.

There are times when no kill is great, there are other times where I feel its very cruel.

I don't really like full out firm No Kill, sadly and harshly some dogs (Some Infirm Elderly, ones with severe temperament issues etc) are likely never going to get adopted and are better off humanely euthanized.. IMO

That said I like the idea of giving dogs more time than many shelters do/ or can... I would be fully behind a low kill extended stay type facility but I am sure that would be very, very expensive if done right...

Someone needs to start a rescue group that properly trains extensive basic manners. Housebroken, doesn't pull on a leash, recall, basic commands. There are far too many dogs waiting and waiting and not having anything done with them to make them more attractive. I was just looking at a dog that has been in a shelter for five years, since she was a puppy, and the write up stated she needs some work on basic manners and pulls on leash. They should have found the time to do that in five years. I know shelters are busy and just care and paperwork takes up a lot of time, but programs implemented to train the dogs would be super helpful. So many people worry about adopting a rescue dog because of behavior issues, and it would be really nice if they could adopt from a place that has evaluated and trained properly.

development of a no kill shelter is an interest for me, and the pros and cons seem well represented here.

You have to be able to fund construction, to meet livestock codes etc. learn the laws of every county and township you may wind up in, because there will be local, state and federal requirements. That means you will need to have either a Vet on staff, or have a large budget for all the animals veterinary care. You would need to incorporate as a non profit, and that will also cost you about a thousand dollars in filing fees.

And you need all that in place before a single animal can be helped.

Interestingly, here in Massachusetts, The Gov signed a bill last year legalizing dog trusts. That is... a fund an owner creates that would pay for the care and upkeep of an animal until the time of their death, if the owner dies before the pet. Dogs can legally inherit in this state, and be assigned paid caretakers. Now, anyone can set up a trust for any animal, and there are no limitations on the amount of dogs you care for in trust.

so ... you have to be clear about what these animals are going to do, where they are going to go, how much they are going to cost... as has been said earlier, too many no kill shelter wind up becoming prisons instead of shelters. if its senior dog care facility, then you need to be clear on preventative care versus catastrophi care... deciding when to let an animal die. These are all hard choices and there are no clear answers.